8 - Pedri

[serghei]

Pedri is not fit for any role at a big club yet. He simply has to improve in any area. Final pass, goals, defensive ability etc. Only nice skill he has mastered already so to speak is ball retention, but other than that... plenty to be improved.

He is young still, but years are passing by and he's not better today than in his debut season back in 2020.

Not only about Barca and Xavi mind you, he's been pretty poor at the last World Cup also.

 

[JamDav1982]

Pedri is more than good enough for top clubs and has shown that in past with Spain and Barca.

Like all players he needs a role that gets best from him not what Xavi is currently asking him to do even if should have been better within that last few games.

Improved massively under Koeman that first season and not really kicked on under Xavi as of yet.

 

[Co0ter]

He isnt an AM/second striker that stays as high as Xavi is trying to play him.

One of a number of players Xavi is playing out of position... he had whole midfield doing that yesterday and Torres as LW when never been that.

As much as like Pedri he isnt better box to box than likes of FDJ and isnt a number crunching AM.

Would have rathered Felix of Ferran behind Lewa yesterday and Pedri on that wide left role at AM and Balde getting forward.

In what fucking world does Xavi think FDJ DM and Romeu to play CM with Pedri up ahead.

Absolutely woeful tactics time and again and very little consistency from one game to next.

Xavi looks lost and scrambling to try players/formations differing all the time and players look equally as confused.

De Jong was legit playing CB 75% of the game
, I wouldn't call it DM at all. He was in the backline with Balde and Cancelo playing forward almost all game.

 

[Fati_Future_BallonDor]

Best Pedri matches were when he played deeper

 

[JamDav1982]

De Jong was legit playing CB 75% of the game
, I wouldn't call it DM at all. He was in the backline with Balde and Cancelo playing forward almost all game.

He was at DM.

The DM always drops back there in build up.

 

[Co0ter]

He was at DM.

The DM always drops back there in build up.

He wasn't dropping back there. He was staying there permanently. He was standing in a flat line with the 2 CBs more than he was in the midfield last game, which was the point I was making. You can say he was listed as DM on team sheet, but he wasn't playing as one. It was 3 at the back and Cancelo and Balde staying forward almost all game.

 

[JamDav1982]

He wasn't dropping back there. He was staying there permanently. He was standing in a flat line with the 2 CBs more than he was in the midfield last game, which was the point I was making. You can say he was listed as DM on team sheet, but he wasn't playing as one. It was 3 at the back and Cancelo and Balde staying forward almost all game.

He was splitting the CBs in first half at times as Barca have almost always done but he was clearly at DM.

Second half didnt do that nearly as much.

 

[Don Juan Laporta Estruch]

The main problem he has is that he is expected to be the most further advanced midfielder and he does not have the mentality to play AM at the moment.

His mentality when he gets the ball is to find a pass. He does not have that instinct to go for goal when the opportunity is there. He does not have that instinct to make a yard and shoot when the opportunity is there. How many times have we seen him receive the ball in a good shooting position only for him to look for a pass? Compare that to Musiala and it is night and day.

The obvious solution is to somehow change his instinct and that is very very difficult to do. The alternative is to get him to play deeper, build him up physically, and get him to tackle more. I suspect they choose the latter option

The future for him is as an all around central midfielder player, kind of like what Frenkie is playing at the moment.

 

[malvolio]

He's a weakling, physically and mentally.

Don't know if much will change going forward. Nice flashes but likes of Musiala and Bellingham are a different breed.

 

[Don Juan Laporta Estruch]

He's a weakling, physically and mentally.

Don't know if much will change going forward. Nice flashes but likes of Musiala and Bellingham are a different breed.

He bossed an international tournament when he was 18. There is nothing wrong with his or Gavi's mentality for sure, quite the opposite. He just needs to play deeper to get the best out of him (as he does for Spain )

 

[JamDav1982]

Same folk who call Pedri 'weak' etc are the ones who use it as an excuse for Xavi when he gets injured and point to him missing in games didnt win....

Same folk who thought Puig was a top talent despite his frame of a fucking sparrows knee cap.

Same folk who thought Arthr was top class etc.

Argue all day for these players.. then call Pedri over rated and weak.

Usual numpties at it.

 

[Total-Football]

+ 13 km ran tonight. Good workrate

 

[Gnidrologist]

His running was mostly without purpose, because Xavi has no clue how to use him. He run a lot in hopes to receive the ball in working position, but almost never did.

 

[vegitot]

Absolute passenger as a 10. Why playing him as a 10 if there is no need for that role?

Raphinha has the ball yet never pass to him for some reason.

 

[Andresito]

Some good forward passes here and there and nice control of the ball.

He needs to find his form both individually and tactically after returning from the injury. Frenkie, Gündo, Pedri will probably be the midfield in most big games, they need to learn how to share the responsibilities.